Matt Turner Cancer Treatments
Donation protected
My name is Matthew Turner, I am a 22 year old college student and I have stage IV cancer. This year was to be my final year at the University of Central Florida for an electrical engineering degree. I had an internship at NASA's Kennedy Space Center working with Atlantis Education Services Space Trek summer camp program. I was able to convince Space Trek to sponsor my senior design project which was to be completed this spring. I proposed to my girlfriend of three years and we now live together. In June of this year I weighed 170 lbs (77 kilo) and decided it was time to get into shape. By September I had lost 10 lbs (4.5 kilo) and noticed a lump in my abdomen. By November it became a bulge and I decided I needed to see a doctor. I had two scans, a CT and an MRI, and by Thanksgiving week my doctor referred me to an oncologist for a potential caner diagnosis.
I had a biopsy on December 4th and my doctor was able to confirm that I have a desmoplastic small cell sarcoma in my pelvis which has spread to my lungs, lymphatic system, and liver. I have spent the past week (12/18-12/23) recieving my first regiment of chemotherapy at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa Florida. The doctors here are confident that they can save me this time but my future is pretty bleak.
To give some numbers:
Sarcomas make up 1% of all cancer diagnosis, abdominal/pelvic sarcomas make up 20% of all sarcomas, and 40% of those are stage IV. The survival rates for this cancer, the chance I have of this disease recurring after remisssion, are bleak. There is a 40% three year survival rate and only a 15% five year survival rate. I have been told I will see 30 only if I'm very lucky.
My luck has been pretty horrid in regards to my diagnosis but I'm not giving up. My family and my fiance's family are both dedicated to helping me beat this disease in the immediate future so I can live the remainder of my life to the absolute fullest. If there is a physical way I WILL return to school and finish my remaining classes. Once I'm well enough I WILL return to Kennedy Space Center. To make this happen I need HELP. The only way I will survive is to focus my entire mind on staying well. I'm currently extremely healthy (except for the cancer ha) which gives me a much better shot at getting at least one good year of limited pain. I want so much more but if I can get that one year I think I can do everything I need to do. I have had an amazing life but I wanted to do so much more. I'm an inventor and hobbiest in my spare time. I've built several guitar effects pedals, a 1-watt laser, and most of a portable Nintendo 64. I still have so much to offer to the world but without assistance I will be swamped with bills.
I have always earned my own way. I have worked steadily since I was 14, have always had good grades in school, and overall wanted to remain self sufficient. I hate this disease. It stole my future from me. Here are more awful numbers:
I have $37,000 in student loans that I have to start making payments on in 6 months.
I have already accrued $8,000 in medical bills in the past month.
My living expenses are $1200 a month for now but I will have to change my diet to reduce the chance of bacterial infection. That number will rise to $1300-1400.
Medical supplies to keep me alive during my treatment will cost me another $200 per month.
I don't even know how much my prescription medication will cost.
Any money raised from this campaign will go directly to saving my life. $5 will buy me one meal, $50 will cover the cost of traveling from Orlando to Tampa for treatment, what I'm trying to convey is that every dollar removes extra stress from my life. If getting better is the only thing I have to worry about, then I am confident that I will survive this round. I need any donations as soon as possible because medical bills are already pilling up.
Once I'm well enough, I will complete my degree and can use that experience to find a job. Without my degree, I have tons of debt and no way to start paying it. If I had my degree this would be an entirely different situation. It is just not possible for me to pay off this amount of debt without a degree, but I cannot get my degree without at least starting to pay the debt off. Donating to my campaign will help ensure that once I'm well I can get back on my feet. There is no point in getting chemotherapy, potential surgery, etc. if once I'm done I will neither afford to live nor have the degree to make a decent living. Please help me. My family and I cannot do this alone.
I had a biopsy on December 4th and my doctor was able to confirm that I have a desmoplastic small cell sarcoma in my pelvis which has spread to my lungs, lymphatic system, and liver. I have spent the past week (12/18-12/23) recieving my first regiment of chemotherapy at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa Florida. The doctors here are confident that they can save me this time but my future is pretty bleak.
To give some numbers:
Sarcomas make up 1% of all cancer diagnosis, abdominal/pelvic sarcomas make up 20% of all sarcomas, and 40% of those are stage IV. The survival rates for this cancer, the chance I have of this disease recurring after remisssion, are bleak. There is a 40% three year survival rate and only a 15% five year survival rate. I have been told I will see 30 only if I'm very lucky.
My luck has been pretty horrid in regards to my diagnosis but I'm not giving up. My family and my fiance's family are both dedicated to helping me beat this disease in the immediate future so I can live the remainder of my life to the absolute fullest. If there is a physical way I WILL return to school and finish my remaining classes. Once I'm well enough I WILL return to Kennedy Space Center. To make this happen I need HELP. The only way I will survive is to focus my entire mind on staying well. I'm currently extremely healthy (except for the cancer ha) which gives me a much better shot at getting at least one good year of limited pain. I want so much more but if I can get that one year I think I can do everything I need to do. I have had an amazing life but I wanted to do so much more. I'm an inventor and hobbiest in my spare time. I've built several guitar effects pedals, a 1-watt laser, and most of a portable Nintendo 64. I still have so much to offer to the world but without assistance I will be swamped with bills.
I have always earned my own way. I have worked steadily since I was 14, have always had good grades in school, and overall wanted to remain self sufficient. I hate this disease. It stole my future from me. Here are more awful numbers:
I have $37,000 in student loans that I have to start making payments on in 6 months.
I have already accrued $8,000 in medical bills in the past month.
My living expenses are $1200 a month for now but I will have to change my diet to reduce the chance of bacterial infection. That number will rise to $1300-1400.
Medical supplies to keep me alive during my treatment will cost me another $200 per month.
I don't even know how much my prescription medication will cost.
Any money raised from this campaign will go directly to saving my life. $5 will buy me one meal, $50 will cover the cost of traveling from Orlando to Tampa for treatment, what I'm trying to convey is that every dollar removes extra stress from my life. If getting better is the only thing I have to worry about, then I am confident that I will survive this round. I need any donations as soon as possible because medical bills are already pilling up.
Once I'm well enough, I will complete my degree and can use that experience to find a job. Without my degree, I have tons of debt and no way to start paying it. If I had my degree this would be an entirely different situation. It is just not possible for me to pay off this amount of debt without a degree, but I cannot get my degree without at least starting to pay the debt off. Donating to my campaign will help ensure that once I'm well I can get back on my feet. There is no point in getting chemotherapy, potential surgery, etc. if once I'm done I will neither afford to live nor have the degree to make a decent living. Please help me. My family and I cannot do this alone.
Organizer
Matt Turner
Organizer
Orlando, FL
